Aksel Berg
|death_date= |birth_place= Orenburg, Russia |death_place= Moscow |image= |caption= |allegiance = |branch = Imperial Russian Navy, Soviet Navy |serviceyears=1914-1953 |rank=Admiral |commands=head of the Soviet Naval Research Institute |battles=World War I Russian Civil War World War II |awards=Hero of Socialist Labour * Order of Lenin (three times) * Order of the Red Banner (twice) * Order of the October Revolution * Order of the Red Star * Order of the Patriotic War }} Aksel Ivanovich Berg (Orenburg 1893 – Moscow 1979) was a Soviet scientist and Navy Admiral (in Engineering). Early life Berg's father was General Johan (Ivan) Berg, of Finland-Swedish origin, and his mother was Italian. Aksel was 11 when his father died, and Aksel was matriculated to Saint Petersburg navy school. Berg joined the Imperial Russian Navy in 1914 and served as junior navigating officer on the Russian battleship Tsesarevich and as liaison officer on the British submarine HMS E8, which was operating in the Baltic in alliance with Russia. After the revolution Berg served in the Red Navy 1918–22. In 1919 he was navigating officer on the submarine Pantera when it sank the British destroyer [[HMS Vittoria (1917)|HMS Vittoria]]. He subsequently commanded the [[Bars class submarine (1915)|submarines Rys, Volk and Zmeya]]. From 1925 Berg was based onshore and completed his education at the Saint Petersburg Polytechnical University. From 1927 he was assigned to the navy radio electronics department and from 1932 to 1937 he headed the Navy Communications Research Institute. Imprisoned and rehabilitated During Stalin's purges, Berg was imprisoned for three years, but was freed and rehabilitated in 1940, when Stalin became interested in developing radar. Berg was immediately appointed as minister of electronic technology of the USSR. He developed the Redut-K air-warning radar which was placed aboard the light cruiser Molotov in April 1941.Watson, Raymond C. (2009).Radar Origins Worldwide. Trafford Publishing, p. 306. ISBN 1426921101 Molotov´s device enabled her to play a key role in the air defense of Sevastopol in the first stages of Operation Barbarossa.Yakubov, Vladimir; Worth, Richard (2009). "The Soviet Light Cruisers of the Kirov Class". In Jordan, John. Warship 2009. London: Conway. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-84486-089-0 After World War II After the war Berg directed the Radioelectronics Institute 1947–57 and was a Deputy Minister of Defence 1953–57. Then in 1958 he founded the Scientific Council of Complex Problem Cybernetics of which he became head. His main interests were radio communications, microelectronics and cybernetics (i.e. computer science and engineering). Berg died in Moscow in 1979 and is buried in Novodevichy Cemetery. ]] Selected publications Berg A., (1964), 'Cybernetics and Education' in The Anglo-Soviet Journal, March 1964, pp. 13–20 (English language) Honours and awards * Hero of Socialist Labour (10 November 1963) Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet "for outstanding achievements in the development of radio engineering and in connection with the 70th anniversary of Aksel Ivanovich Berg" * Four Orders of Lenin * Order of the October Revolution * Order of the Red Banner, twice * Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class * Order of the Red Star, three times * Popov Gold Medal (13 April 1951) * Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" * Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" * Jubilee Medal "XX Years of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army" * Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy" * Jubilee Medal "40 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" * Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" References External links * warheres.ru (Russian) * Documentary by YLE, Finland's national broadcasting company Category:1893 births Category:1979 deaths Category:People from Orenburg Category:Soviet scientists Category:Heroes of Socialist Labour Category:Recipients of the Order of Lenin Category:Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Category:Recipients of the Order of the October Revolution Category:Recipients of the Order of the Red Star Category:Recipients of the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class Category:Soviet submarine commanders Category:Soviet people of Italian descent Category:Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery Category:Full Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences